Interview

Interview: Otto Preiss, the Group Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Power Conversion, spoke to pv magazine about the growing opportunities in the transition of the utility sector, the growing significance of distributed generation and smart grids as well as electric mobility and increased mass transportation coming with growing urbanization.

Dr. Rodrigo Sauaia serves as executive director of ABSolar, the Brazilian Solar Industry Association. The following interview was conducted at the Intersolar South America trade show, and addresses the barriers and promise of Brazil’s solar market.

John Perlin explores the history of solar energy in his latest book, “Let it Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy.” pv magazine caught up with the author for an interview in the August issue. Here’s an excerpt.

Interview: Markus Elsässer, CEO of Intersolar Europe organizer Solar Promotion, discusses the expected trends and highlights at this year’s event.

David Pérez, partner at Eclareon in Madrid, Spain, discusses emerging markets in Latin America and the growing prospects for photovoltaics in the region.

Goetz Fischbeck, executive director of Equity Research at Bankhaus Lampe, discusses First Solar’s capital increase, the company’s strategy and potential growth possibilites, particularly in China.

New figures from British bank ING Direct has shown that solar is the most important “non essential” factor in encouraging a prospective buyer to agree to purchasing a house. 38% of respondents to the ING survey of over 1000 people, responded that solar panels were the most important non-essential factor, which would encourage them to buy a property.

While it reported an operating loss in Q1 2012 of US$35.1 million last week, Hanwha SolarOne believes it is heading in the right direction. The company reduced U.S. shipments to avoid the hefty tariffs imposed by the Department of Commerce in the quarter. pv magazine spoke to Andreas Liebheit General Manager Europe, Africa and Middle East to discuss the company’s position and strategy.

While some sections of the photovoltaic industry continue to bend under the weight of weak demand and oversupply, the latest figures show venture capital investment at new highs.

Future photovoltaics (PV) markets were discussed at one of the final 11th Forum Solarpraxis sessions, currently being held in Berlin, Germany.